Zhao Mushen stood in the air, his expression calm and composed as he watched the Tianyuan Region group attempt to retreat through the spatial crack. His gaze shifted towards Zhou Yuan as he displayed a faint smile. “Chief pavilion master Zhou Yuan, are you planning on leaving so soon?”

Zhou Yuan chuckled and calmly replied, “We’re not your match, and I can’t beat you for now. What else can we do but leave?”

Zhao Mushen said, “From your words, it seems that you only feel that you can’t beat me for now? Does it mean that you’ll be able to in the future?”

Zhou Yuan shrugged but did not comment.

Meanwhile, he made a hand signal towards Yi Qiushui and the rest from behind his back, telling them to hurry up and leave through the spatial crack.

Zhao Mushen seemed to be unaware of Zhou Yuan’s little movements as he continued to stare at Zhou Yuan with interest.

Sensing Zhao Mushen’s gaze, Zhou Yuan raised his eyebrows and asked, “You seem to be very interested in me?”

“Why do you say so?”

Zhou Yuan replied, “To have that mighty Law Domain stage expert of yours personally take action and let us meet in the first round...is investing such effort not a sign of interest?”

Zhao Mushen chuckled, “You’re very perceptive.”

The fact that the other party could not even be bothered to deny anything made Zhou Yuan narrow his eyes. From his brief contact with Zhao Mushen, Zhou Yuan could sense that though the other party seemed kindly, he was extremely proud.

There was no disdain in his eyes when he looked at Zhou Yuan; one wouldn’t feel disdain when looking at an ant at one’s feet.

“Zhou Yuan, there’s no need to try to delay for time. If you don’t move, I’ll let your Tianyuan Region leave safely. I don’t have much interest in a group of small fry.” Zhao Mushen smiled as he looked towards the crowd successively entering the spatial crack. “You should know that many will be injured if I take action now.”

Zhou Yuan’s expression turned calm as he said, “Alright, I won’t move.”

Zhao Mushen smiled, seemingly trusting the former.

The two of them faced each other in the sky while the several-hundred-strong Tianyuan Region team squeezed into the spatial crack below in a panicky manner.

Yi Qiushui was at the very back, her eyes filled with worry as she gazed at the two individuals in the sky. How could she not know that Zhou Yuan was being closely watched by Zhao Mushen?

But she also understood that what she needed to do now was leave as quickly as possible. She would only become a burden to Zhou Yuan if she lingered.

Yi Qiushui took a deep breath as her hand suddenly jerked. Countless tree branches flew out from her spatial bag and hurtled towards Zhou Yuan, filling the sky with shadows.

Meanwhile, she cast aside all hesitation and decisively dashed into the spatial crack, quickly disappearing into it.

Zhou Yuan’s gaze flickered when Yi Qiushui threw the branches into the sky. In the next instant, his figure turned to a black blur and disappeared.

Branches hurtled through the air, casting countless shadows on the ground.

Zhou Yuan’s figure leaped between the shadows at an unimaginable speed, stealthy as a phantom as he shot towards the spatial crack.

Celestial Shadow Art!

In the air, Zhao Mushen was not angered by Zhou Yuan’s disappearance. He merely smiled and said, “What a strange yet amazing technique. No wonder you dared to stay behind.”

The lotus symbol between his brows began to glow.

A pair of lotuses appeared in Zhao Mushen’s pupils. Mystical light blossomed from his eyes as the world around him became clear.

The darkness retreated, and the shadows disappeared.

The leaping shadow Zhou Yuan had turned into was now clearly within Zhao Mushen’s sight.

“It seems that you’ve yet to accept your fate.” Zhao Mushen chuckled softly. “However, escaping from my hands won’t be as easy as you think. Did you really think that I was merely watching you earlier? I was using a secret technique to lock onto your presence. No matter how you run, you won’t be able to escape my subsequent attack.

“Zhou Yuan, you are far too weak.”

Zhao Mushen clapped his hands together as a faint glow condensed between his palms. He then pulled apart the light, swiftly forming an inch-long glowing shuttle.

The glowing shuttle was very streamlined, its sharp tip flickering with a dangerous and sharp light. As it hummed, it tore even space itself apart.

Nine-colored light swirled around the shuttle, making it extremely beautiful.

However, lethal power pulsed beneath the beautiful light.

As Zhou Yuan zipped towards the spatial crack at full speed, Zhou Yuan felt an extremely dangerous undulation, causing the corner of his eye to twitch. He immediately increased his speed.

The Genesis Qi in his body exploded without reservation.

Swish!

Two breaths later, Zhou Yuan’s figure appeared at the edge of the spatial crack, and his foot stepped into it.

In the sky, Zhao Mushen’s expression remained indifferent. A low voice rang out as he gently flicked his finger.

“Nine Spirit Soul Breaker Shuttle.”

Swish!

The light shuttle trembled in his palm before vanishing.

Bzzbzz!

Only an extremely strong individual would sense the space rippling faintly. An undetectable streak of light pierced through the air, accompanied by deadly force as it shot straight towards Zhou Yuan’s nape.

With half a foot already in the spatial crack, Zhou Yuan felt a prickling pain all over his skin. It was the feeling that an extremely dangerous attack was coming.

The sensation told him that if he were hit, even his strong body would be pierced easily.

However, Zhou Yuan also understood that he could not stop at this juncture. Otherwise, Zhao Mushen would completely seal off his escape route. If that happened, there would be almost zero chance of survival against the overwhelming Zhao Mushen and his elite Wanzu Region team.

Hence, Zhou Yuan did not hesitate, and he stepped into the spatial crack. Spatial ripples surged, enveloping his body.

Swish!

When Zhou Yuan’s figure disappeared, however, the shuttle arrived and chased into the spatial crack after him.

The surrounding Genesis Qi undulations gradually calmed down.

Zhao Mushen nonchalantly gazed at the spatial crack as he muttered to himself, “You’ll be lucky to survive my Nine Spirit Soul Breaker Shuttle.”

With the exception of Wu Yao, Su Youwei and Wang Xi, the other top ten rankers on the Divine Dwelling List would have to carefully face this attack of his, or they would pay a grave price.

Once hit, the target’s Spirit would be smashed to pieces. It was an extremely brutal attack.

He had already locked onto Zhou Yuan’s presence so the shuttle would not dissipate until Zhou Yuan’s Spirit was destroyed.

Too many experts had died to his shuttle over the years.

And now, one more would soon be added to that list.

“The supreme sovereign told me to capture you...but I’m afraid that I’ll only be able to bring back a corpse now.”

Zhao Mushen shook his head as he smiled in a somewhat helpless manner. He then turned away from the spatial crack and leisurely left.

An opponent of Zhou Yuan’s level honestly did not interest him much.

Fortunately for him, his target had now been dealt with.

Next, it was time for him to enjoy the nine regions tournament. He hoped that Wu Yao and Su Youwei would not disappoint him too much.